Liverpool Football Club, under the leadership of manager Jürgen Klopp, has achieved remarkable success in recent years, including winning the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League title in 2020. However, the current challenge facing Klopp may be his most impressive yet. Despite their successes, Liverpool has had to compete with clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea who have larger budgets.
One of the factors contributing to a dip in form for Liverpool is the aging of their key players and the need for replacements. Over the past two years, the club has begun the process of bringing in new talent, but their overall squad market value has steadily decreased since the summer of 2019. The squad’s value currently stands at €831 million, a 25.1% decrease from its peak of €1.1 billion. Only cross-town rivals Everton have seen a larger decrease in squad value during this period.
The decrease in value can be attributed to a combination of factors. While Liverpool has spent €490 million on new players, these additions have not been able to convince Klopp to move on from the previous generation of stars. Only five of the 11 players who started the 2019 Champions League final have left the club, and most of them departed just this summer or last season. Klopp has held on to these aging stars for as long as possible, resulting in a downgrade in market values.
The club has lost €126 million in squad market value in the last year alone, with players like Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Virgil Van Dijk, Alisson, Joel Matip, and Thiago Alcantara seeing their values decrease due to their age or nearing the age of 30. If Klopp cannot find suitable long-term replacements for these players, Liverpool‘s chances of winning another major title may become increasingly difficult.
Despite the decline in squad value, Klopp‘s managerial abilities and the team’s previous successes cannot be overlooked. Liverpool fans have witnessed the club achieve unprecedented heights under his guidance. However, the challenge now is to build a new generation of stars capable of sustaining this success. Only time will tell if Klopp can continue to work his magic and lead Liverpool to more glory in the future.
